Stoke striker Crouch: I can't speak highly enough of Pulis

Crouch, after his curt farewell from Tottenham, needed a club that would appreciate him.

"He [Tony Pulis] certainly gives me that belief," Crouch told the Independent. "The best football I have ever played in my career has always been with a manager who rates me extremely highly."

He bought into Pulis' methods straight away.

"He has really, really impressed me with his attention to detail and the work he does on every player and team's stats," Crouch says. "He is not concerned what anyone else says about the way we play. All he is concerned about is getting results, a stable Premier League team doing well in the cup competitions. He has achieved that.

"We are an established team now. We have done well in Europe so far, the team reached the FA Cup final last year and for me it is going to get better and better. We are not concerned what people say outside. As a manager I can't talk about him highly enough."